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To quote his most famous character, here is a “half wise man”.
Tony Sirico – best known for his prolific portrayal of ganger Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri on HBO’s legendary “The Sopranos” – was fondly remembered by family, friends and fellow cast members at his funeral in South Brooklyn on Wednesday.
Born Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr. on July 29, 1942, he died on Friday at the age of 79, his brother and priest Father Robert Sirico announced via social media. His funeral was livestreamed on Wednesday morning.
Robert celebrated his brother’s funeral service at the Basilica of Regia Pacis in Sirico’s hometown of Brooklyn, paying tribute to the cast and “loyal and enthusiastic fans” who came to pay their respects to the beloved actor.
“My friends, if Paulie Walnuts can steal heaven, so can you and I,” Robert told the celebratory crowd of nearly 100 gathered at the historic Bensonhurt Church, including Sirico’s former “Sopranos” co-star Stars Lorraine Bracco, Steven Van Zandt and Josef Gannascoli.
Van Zandt told The Post Sirico was “one of my lifelong best friends – and one of a kind, you know? Unique. I will definitely miss him.”
Character actors in attendance included Tony Daniels, aka the voice of Tony the Tiger, and Scarface’s Angel Salazar.
Sirico’s immediate family were dressed all in black – and one overwhelmed mourner appeared to be having a panic attack.
The tough guy role came naturally to Sirico: He’s been arrested 28 times in his life, starting when he was 7 for stealing change from a kiosk, the LA Times reported.
“After all the times I’ve been pinched, I knew every judge in town,” said Sirico, who also played male roles in 1990’s Goodfellas and the 1996 film Gotti. “I was a tough kid. I’ve always had this itch in my pants trying to figure out who I am. I tested mine [courage] each night.”
During the eulogy, Robert recalled a time many years ago when his brother refused communion and admitted that he had not gone to confession in a very long time.
But when Robert “sensed that the end was near” during a visit to “Tony” in Florida a few weeks ago, he finally went through with his confession, the priest told those present. Sources told the Post Sirico was battling dementia at the time of his death at a senior care facility in the Sunshine State.
The late actor is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens.
Despite playing a trusty soldier in James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, in real life Sirico has never been afraid to stand up to the boss – in his case it was the show’s creator David Chase.
“He was the only one who ever asked me to change a line. And I did it,” Chase told Variety. “Another character talked about Paulie and they said he was a bully. Tony didn’t like that… He asked me to remove the word “bully”. And I did,” the creator added, saying Sirico is “part of one of the greatest line-ups of all time.”
Other Sopranos cast members were quick to recognize how Sirico not only brought the role to life, but also what it meant to him to play Paulie.
“He’s never been happier playing than Paulie Walnuts. Perfect cast. Rest in peace Tony. You did well,” posted David Proval, who played Richie Aprile on The Sopranos, on Instagram, calling Sirico “the real deal.”
This is breaking news. Check back for photos and updates.
